Installing Node.js on Linux
Before starting network programming, you need to install Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) on your Linux system. For Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions, run the following commands in the terminal:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nodejs npm
Verify the installation by checking the versions:
node -v # Should display the installed Node.js version (e.g., v18.x.x)
npm -v # Should display the installed npm version (e.g., 9.x.x)
This ensures you have the necessary tools to run Node.js applications.
Basic Network Programming with Built-in Modules
Node.js provides several built-in modules for network programming, including http/https (for HTTP/HTTPS servers), net (for TCP servers/clients), and dgram (for UDP servers/clients). Below are fundamental examples of each:
The http module enables creating web servers. The following example creates a simple HTTP server that responds with “Hello World” to all requests:
const http = require('http');
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
res.end('Hello World\n');
});
server.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000/');
});
Save this code as server.js and run it with node server.js. Access http://localhost:3000 in a browser to see the response.
The net module facilitates TCP communication. Below is a TCP server that echoes back any data it receives from a client, along with a corresponding client to test it:
const net = require('net');
const server = net.createServer((socket) => {
console.log('Client connected');
socket.on('data', (data) => {
console.log(`Received: ${data}`);
socket.write(`Echo: ${data}`);
});
socket.on('end', () => {
console.log('Client disconnected');
});
});
server.listen(3001, () => {
console.log('TCP Server listening on port 3001');
});
Save as tcp_server.js and run with node tcp_server.js.
const net = require('net');
const client = net.createConnection(3001, '127.0.0.1', () => {
console.log('Connected to TCP server');
client.write('Hello from client!');
});
client.on('data', (data) => {
console.log(`Received: ${data}`);
client.end();
});
client.on('end', () => {
console.log('Disconnected from server');
});
Save as tcp_client.js and run with node tcp_client.js. The client will send a message to the server, which will echo it back.
The dgram module enables UDP communication (connectionless, faster but less reliable than TCP). Below is a UDP server that responds to incoming messages and a client to test it:
const dgram = require('dgram');
const server = dgram.createSocket('udp4');
server.on('message', (msg, rinfo) => {
console.log(`Received: ${msg} from ${rinfo.address}:${rinfo.port}`);
server.send(`Echo: ${msg}`, rinfo.port, rinfo.address);
});
server.bind(3002, () => {
console.log('UDP Server listening on port 3002');
});
Save as udp_server.js and run with node udp_server.js.
const dgram = require('dgram');
const client = dgram.createSocket('udp4');
const message = Buffer.from('Hello from UDP client!');
client.send(message, 3002, '127.0.0.1', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('Message sent to server');
client.close();
});
Save as udp_client.js and run with node udp_client.js. The client sends a UDP packet to the server, which responds with an echo.
Testing with Command-Line Tools
You can use standard Linux tools to test your servers without writing additional clients:
telnet (install with sudo apt install telnet) or nc (netcat, install with sudo apt install netcat) to connect to the TCP server:telnet localhost 3001
# Or
nc localhost 3001
nc in UDP mode to test the UDP server:nc -u localhost 3002
Advanced Tips
For more complex scenarios (e.g., HTTPS, HTTP/2, WebSocket), explore additional Node.js modules like https (for secure HTTP servers), http2 (for HTTP/2 protocol), or third-party libraries like ws (for WebSocket). Refer to the official Node.js documentation for detailed guides and API references.